Source: United States Senator for Minnesota Amy Klobuchar
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with oversight of federal elections and campaign finance law, and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the statement below on President Biden’s budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2023, which includes significant funding for election security and administration grants over the next decade, postage-free ballot delivery, and additional funding for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
“Free and fair elections are the cornerstone of our democracy, and it is critical that we invest in them. I’ve long advocated for additional resources to improve voting access and bolster the security of our election infrastructure, and I am glad to see these priorities included in the President’s budget proposal. From ensuring state and local election officials receive significant and reliable federal resources, to making it easier for voters to cast mail-in ballots, to strengthening the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, these resources represent a significant investment in our democracy.”
As Chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, Klobuchar has been a national leader in the fight to strengthen voting access and improve the administration and security of our elections. In February, she led 32 colleagues in urging President Biden to include $5 billion in election security grants for fiscal year 2023 to improve the administration of federal elections in his budget proposal.
Last fall, she introduced the Freedom to Vote Act with several of her colleagues, which included provisions to improve voting access, improve the delivery of election mail, and protect and modernize election systems. All Senate Democrats co-sponsored this legislation and voted to advance the bill in January.
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